UCONN Men Plow The Pioneers

Led by Craig Austrie and a balanced scoring attack, the UCONN Men killed the Sacred Heart Pioneers by a final score of 86-43. Austrie and Doug Wiggins both had 12 points off the bench to lead the Huskies. AJ Price and Jerome Dyson each chipped in 11 as well.

Notes and Observations:

• The starters were Price, Dyson, Johnson, Thabeet and Adrien.
• Doug Wiggins’ 12 points were a career high for him. He also had a career high 5 assists. He was the player of the game for the Huskies. It was close until he entered the game and his speed changed the complexity of the game.
• Hasheem Thabeet continues to improve offensively. He looks more poised in the lane when he gets the ball. He scored 8 pts, had 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.
• This was the first game that Jeff Adrien didn’t score in double figures. He had 8 pts, 8 rebounds and a team high 3 blocks. Overall in the game, the Huskies blocked 11 shots.
• A Calhoun first for the season. He didn’t make a substitution until after the first tv timeout.
• A few things I have noticed so far this season. First, during introductions, every Husky usually shakes hands with the referees. Secondly, every time Doug Wiggins, Jeff Adrien, and Hasheem Thabeet come out of the game, they high five everyone on the bench.
• Stanley Robinson added 8 pts off the bench. He still looks a little lost out there at times. I thought he might have been in the doghouse when he hoisted an ill-advised 3 pt shot. He did get yanked but eventually got back onto the court.
• UCONN’s free throw shooting was excellent as they were 16 of 18 (88%) from the line last night. Even Thabeet made both his free throws. Shocking I know.
• The Huskies didn’t allow anyone from Sacred Heart to score double figures.

I can honestly say I expected a much better game from Sacred Heart. They played North Carolina very close in the beginning of the season as they decided to run with the Tar Heels. Last night, they decided to play zone and pack the middle but when Doug Wiggins entered the game and Craig Austrie got hot, they played a little more man to man on defense. UCONN’s speed overtook them. A lot of the time it looked like the Pioneer’s players were in slow motion as the UCONN guards would blow right by them. Plus Sacred Heart’s 3 point shots weren’t falling.

Next up for the Huskies should be another laugher as they host Texas Southern on Sunday at 2 pm at Gampel. The game is not televised.